Board of Regents freezes tuition and fees at public colleges

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The governing board of South Dakota’s public universities made a slew of decisions, including to freeze tuition and fees for next year, as it met through a conference call on Wednesday

Board of Regents president Kevin Schieffer said the financial uncertainty due to the global coronavirus pandemic led them to the decision to keep tuition and fees level through next spring.

“We are in exceptional times,” he said in a statement.

The board also named a new president, approved an expansion of academic program offerings, and named Kim Wadsworth as the next superintendent at the School for the Deaf. Wadsworth currently serves as the South Dakota School for the Deaf director of outreach, a position she has held since 2010

The Board of Regents oversees the state’s six universities, as well as special education schools for blind and deaf students.

The board also selected John W. Bastian of Belle Fourche to take over as president. Bastian is a South Dakota circuit court judge.